Albums
Black Samson, the Bastard Swordsman
After enjoying its heyday in the ’90s and 2000s as arguably the greatest hip-hop group ever, the Wu-Tang Clan spent the late 2010s to mid-2020s solidifying its legacy in various ways—a television series, a docuseries, a Las Vegas residency, a cross-generational pop-culture touchstone. But fans who’ve wanted a Wu-Tang Clan album have often had to accept consolation prizes; 2015’s Once Upon a Time in Shaolin was a single copy auctioned for millions of dollars. Mathematics is as legitimate as anyone to continue the Wu-Tang Clan’s legacy. He isn’t one of the original nine members, but he’s produced songs on some of the group’s most beloved solo and group albums (The W, Supreme Clientele, and Bulletproof Wallets, for example), has served as their longtime DJ, and is even the creator of its iconic W logo. Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman is his second collaborative album with the group, and earns its Wu-Tang Clan co-billing: All the members of the group make appearances here, and he capably continues the group’s distinctively dark, cinematic aesthetic. “Mandingo” finds Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, Method Man, and Cappadonna slinging bars around classic kung fu flick samples, while Ghostface Killah delivers a heartfelt ode to his late mother on “Claudine” with solemn singing by Nicole Bus and a rich, piano-driven sound bed. Mathematics also enlists smart guest appearances outside of the Clan: Benny the Butcher squares up with Meth on “Warriors Two, Cooley High,” while West Coast spitter KXNG Crooked joins Cappadonna for the sentimental album closer “Charleston Blue, Legend of a Fighter.” There aren’t any songs that feature more than three or four Wu-Tang Clan members at once, but everyone shows up and delivers authentically sharp verses, and with Mathematics’ expert understanding of the Wu sound, fans of the group will be satisfied with this addition to the catalog.